5 Minutes, 5 Questions, 1 Designer:Tobi Fairley

The designer shares her best color tips.

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The Little Rock-based designer, blogger, and founder of her very own boot camp for designers, is joining House Beautiful and creativeLIVE October 25-27 to create the online workshop, "Using Color in Home Design." Over the course of three days, Tobi will host twelve 90-minute segments on all things design — from color trends and psychology to tips on how to update your home. Viewers can watch the workshop live and for free at any point throughout the series (or subscribe to watch it on demand at a later date).

In the midst of preparations for the weekend, Tobi took five minutes to answer five of our questions on color.

Where do you start with picking colors for a room?

Tobi Fairley: I always start with fabrics for a room design — that's really where you can create the most beautiful and impactful color palettes. I actually choose the paint colors last.

What's the easiest way to add color to a room?

Paint and accessories are my two best go-to suggestions for adding color. Paint is inexpensive and fairly easy to change, so it can be a quick way to add a punch of color. You don't have to paint the entire room, though — it can be fun to color the back of bookshelves or inside a piece of cabinetry. I also like to layer in complementary colors through the accessories, like pillows, art, or lamps.

What are some tips for creating a color palette — or combining colors — in a room?

First and foremost, select colors that you like—just going with a color because it's trendy might not be the best long-term choice. I also like to think about how a room will be used. For example, a bedroom needs a calming color overall like pale blue, rather than a bright yellow that might be too energizing. And then when pairing color combos, think about matching your main color choice with a complementary color, for example an orange pop in a blue room. I try not to use more than three colors in a room, though. More than that can be overwhelming.

What's the best color for a living room?

This may sound like an odd answer at first, but I prefer neutral tones in a living room, and then I wrap color around that neutral background. If you look at my portfolio, many of the rooms that are most often used as examples of my color sensibility actually have neutral walls. The color comes from that layering of fabrics and accessories.

If you go for neutral colors, how do you keep a room from becoming boring?

Again, it's all about adding that punch that draws the eye in. That can come from bold patterned fabrics and colorful accessories.